Sunday, 18 June 2017

My Pregnancy Essentials

As I'm fast approaching 25 weeks, I thought I'd share some bits that have made it that little bit better. The second trimester has been so much easier than the first and I've found some hero products of mine that I'll be keeping close. What has worked for me, may not work for you so just take this as a guide and if you have anything that you think I may love, let me know in the comments.

A Pregnancy Pillow

If there is one thing I didn't really take into consideration, it's the uncomfortable sleeping. The bigger the baby gets, the more difficult it is to find the perfect sleeping position so out came the pregnancy pillow. I knew I didn't want anything too huge and after asking for recommendations on Twitter, it was Theraline that kept popping up so that's what I have and I love it. The Theraline Pregnancy Pillow is designed to support you throughout your pregnancy and moulds to your body. It's practically my best friend and has made such a difference in my sleeping. It is such a must have item.

Maternity Clothes
You'll be surprised how quickly your body starts the change, something I haven't dealt with very well so it's best to invest in comfy clothes asap. I bulk bought the Next Maternity Leggings and love them. Pricier than most but means you won't have to replace them. A good pair of maternity jeans are also a must to still feel a bit normal. The rest of my clothes I've just bought in larger sizes than I usually would with the majority coming from Zara as their Summer range is beautiful this year. Next, Asos and H&M have the best maternity wear in my opinion.

Skincare for bump

I've mentioned a few times about how important it is to me to keep my skin in good condition while pregnant so I have a treasure chest full of stretch mark helping, skin softening dream creams. I have the Weleda Stretch Mark Oil and the Clarins Tonic Body Treatment Oil, both I use every other day and really love, my Weleda bottle is very nearly empty! I've also been using Palmer's Cocoa Butter which is such a skin care classic when it comes to pregnancy. Investing in a good skincare regime is such a must especially when that bump starts stretching and itching!

Skincare for you
Pregnancy reeks havoc on your skin and I was not prepared. I've gone from having oily to combination skin as the numbers tick past in my twenties to the most dry skin I've ever experienced since falling pregnant. Now I'm coming towards the end of My Second Trimester my skin has settled down but not without serious help from Weleda Skin Food, it has been my saviour. I would recommend this to anyone suffering with dry skin during pregnancy and I'll always keep a tube as back up in the future too. Whatever your skin complaint is during pregnancy, treat yourself with something to help while your body is doing all that extra work.

Pregnancy Books & Apps
When we first found out I was pregnant, we read everything we could get our hands on before completely spooking ourselves and waiting until we were in the safe zone to read anything else. The first book I bought was How to Grow a Baby & Push It Out by Clemmie Hooper before being given a pile to read from Rachel. I also bought a comedy book for Arran to read which is the ultimate Dad guide to anything and everything.

There is so much information out there so just try and find the right book for you, I cannot praise Clemmie's book enough! There are also two apps I use, Ovia because it shows what your babies size is by weird and wonderful objects but take it with a pinch of salt as it's American and not everything is relevant if you're in the UK. The second is Bounty which is the baby support and promotions company promoted through NHS midwives. I'm sure there are more out there but I personally didn't want to overload myself with multiple apps and notifications giving the same advice.

Everything I've relied on is pretty basic stuff so far but I want to see how much this changes as I get towards the end of my pregnancy and see what else I add into my essentials. I'd love to know what it was that you kept close to you while pregnant too so make sure you let me know in the comments.

14 comments

I can highly recommend Pregnancy for Men for Arran, so funny! Totally agree with the pregnancy pillow, I still use it now! Cabbage leaves, cold baths for my feet and ice lollies were also essential, especially when it's hot!Hels xxhttp://thehelsproject.com/

I loved the Ovia app - it gives you all the funny things that the baby is the size of! Interesting to hear about the Weleda skin food, I really struggled with needing to find something a bit more moisturising and bio oil did't quite cut it for me! Also, that Orla pregnancy journal looks GORGEOUS!

The Ovia app was one of my favourite things, I loved comparing the size of baby to different animals. That Orla journal looks so nice, I had a Busy B one but only wrote it in for my pregnancy, beyond that; well baby and life got in the way! I couldn't get on with the smell of the Clarins Oil, it reminded me of my gran but Palmers is always a good shout.

A lot of my pregnancy favourites here! The Weleda Stretch Mark Oil was a must for me and I still love my Theraline pillow! I'm so excited for you to have your little one, becoming parents is the best thing in the world!

My pregnancy pillow was absolutely useless to me while pregnant - after pregnancy, it's a completely different story. There is absolutely nothing better than spooning a massive pillow (sorry to my boyfriend) - and my baby cuddles in perfectly to it!